Advice...

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I suggest you start by using your rust sofa as a basis for choosing a rug. The rugs below illustrate that the choice would have a major influence on the direction of the rooms after that. I've picked three with rust in them, and one without, as you could equally choose a neutral rug. If you choose a patterned one, it will help you to choose colours for the rooms. The neutral would start you on a journey of looking for colours that work with rust, and that you like. With Houzz's help, of course, if you want.

Can you post a picture of the room taken from the dining room window side? That would give us a better idea of layout. Pics of the sofa and any other furniture would be great, too.

http://www.hsn.com/products/surya-caesar-rust-red-classic-area-rug-8-square/7248622

http://www.amazon.com/T1010-Black-Burgundy-Abstract-Carpet/dp/B00F0XCAZA

http://stores.rugsabound.com/Bashian-Verona-R130-LC125-Rahni-Rust-Area-Rug_p_150471.html

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Orian-Basketcase-Indoor-Outdoor-Area-Rug-Rawhide-Rust-Red-6-5-x-9-8/22010356

Measure your space - is that the entry door right into the alcove with the window? Will your dining table fit there at the window possibly with a banquette to minimize area needed to pull back your chairs? Maybe use two of your chairs facing into the rest of the room and turn them when you entertain? The cabinet may be too large as it is described, since you are going to want the wall opposite the window for your sofa - rust can be lovely paired with autumn colors . . . soft olive greens, a touch of red .even dijon or eggplant touches but focus on the soft neutral greens first until you find things you love . look for a print pillow or napkin that has several colors including a shade of your rust in it. ..want to post a photo of your furniture below? definitely lose the pink walls and try an off white in the cream direction so you get light into the space . . you will be repeating your chair elements and starting off in the right direction . . i particularly like ben moore dark linen

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/darklinen - don't be afraid to paint the ac - it is old and can take it if you clean it well with tsp before you start . . it will hide better . . put a tv in front of it on a taller sort of chest and it will hide well.

Libradesigneye

Thank you for your advice! I love the idea of painting the AC. The entrance to the apartment is right there by the big window. That is the most narrowest part of the apartment. I was thinking to put the couch/living room there and the dining room by the other windows so its near the kitchen? Ill attach a photo of the wall opposite the 2 windows and the a/c. Also someone told me to do a blue feature wall with the others a crisp white? I'm just not sure where. Here are some pictures of my furniture in my old apartment. i may have to get rid of the recliners because they are too big...

sorry i don't have a picture yet of the wall opposite the windows yet ill get it soon

We really need more pictures of the space from different angles. It would also help to know dimensions of the room. How will the living area be used? Will there be a TV there?

It looks like you have a lot of bulky furniture to squeeze into a pretty small space. If you intend to keep all your case goods, I suggest looking for much smaller seating. Look at apartment-sized furniture.

I'd begin with a new slipcover for the rust colored couch.

The couch is leather. Will the slipcover look messy or will it stay in place?

No you can't slipcover leather. It's too slippery...

No, you can't slipcover them very well unless you're clever with velcro and swim noodles to keep everything in place.

i had someone take measurements of the living space. its 5'9" X 9'2" ill show you in a picture. My couch is 7'4". so technically i can fit my couch by that window wall. now whats better, buy a new "L" shape couch and wrap it around or keep my couch and buy 2 club chairs facing the couch or just leave it one couch? Am i making my small space even smaller? i just want to have enough seating space because its mostly used for entertaining. we don't have a TV but we have a couple of bookcases that i can put or not...

Im also thinking of doing one blue wall... Which wall? the One with the window or the other one? And what size area rug...

Thank you everyone who has answered me, i know I'm asking a lot of questions but honestly I'm lost and its my first home purchase(2 family house, I'm on first floor and basement) and i want it to feel nice and cozy...

I think you should keep the recliners and sell the sofa. 9 x 5 is not a good seating area with a doorway walking through it but with a banquette on the wall under the window and a table there it will use the space well / work for dining and still feel like a sofa in your space. Here is the look - http://www.ballarddesigns.com/furniture/dining-kitchen/banquettes/?redirect=y#w=*&af=cat3:furniture_diningkitchen_banquettes cat2:furniture_diningkitchen cat1:furniture pagetype:products

For a space limited area, you need precisely the right furniture that is exactly the right size. Imagine this above under the window, then maybe put a drop leaf table straight across from the entry door . .that you move in front of this / raise leafs when you host a dinner party . I would suggest one of the tables that cranks up to dining height and down to coffee table height - http://www.homedecorators.com/p/industrial-adjustable-height-accent-table/

a pedestal round table in the left corner for you . . and a straight dining chair that can be turned around

If you come back to the window wall area, that is the place that recliners can sit where the room widens - with the bookcases like a library - now the entire room functions like a living room but can transition to dining for many . .

Since you have brown leather, I would not do a navy wall but a deep teal navy could be great with white. Then add blue greens . . treat the new banquette like it was a new sofa - use a linen toned sunbrella. If I were painting a wall dark, it would be the wall opposite the window / behind the photographer - a side wall will make it feel more narrow - if you paint, treat it like a gallery wall for art and white framed photos so the dark wall becomes like a frame. . Use the wall that jogs back for your bookcase . .

Look at bm bella blue - test it, it will be plenty dark in here http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/bellablue

Then, bm simply white

9 x 5 is almost too small for anything, and there's a bump in the wall, to boot.. Now we definitely need more pictures from different angles, need to see exactly where the door is located on that wall, and the whole space probably needs to be rethought.

That's too small for a space where you actually want to spend time and relax. If you put your couch in the window area, you won't be able to put your TV anywhere without stepping over it on the way in and out of room.

Maybe we need a floorplan for the whole open space. I suspect that you need to put the eating setup here in order to have enough room to do everything else you would want to in here, but it's possible that the other part of the room (11 feet by ?? maybe another 11?) has room for both functions, with just an entryway (or a desk) right by the door, or something like an arm chair extending over there. Give us more info!

Your right I need to give you more pictures. I'm gonna work on that! I hope by the end of this week! Thank you!

You have gotten lots of good advice...your room will look fabulous! But, please promise that you will remove those window shades...:)

hi. Ok i got more pictures and angles. So this will be my living/dining room. i don't use a TV so the furniture i do have is a 3 seater couch thats 7 feet wide 2 recliners at 3 feet wide each 2 china closets at 3 feet wide each a dining table at 5'10" with 8 chairs. We used a lot of our money in buying the house and now i have to try to make do with the furniture i have for now till i save up more money. I want to make this space feel nice and inviting with paint area rug new shades and other small things that make a room nicer. i really appreciate everyones suggestions! i love the blue paint color and the idea of the dining room in the narrower part of the house. I'm looking forward to more great ideas!

Ok, I'd still treat most of this space as living room. Put your dining table against the wall by the kitchen -- you can pull it out when you have company (a dropleaf is your friend here too). Then couch on long wall with windows, spanning the pesky column to the degree necessary to give the table clearance, and pulled out as much as needed -- you can put a floor lamp behind that. That leaves this very open to the room, and you can put a comfy reading chair (with small table and lamp) across from it and another chair facing those two, with its back to the dining table. Coffee table or ottoman in front of couch. Walking path should be between comfy chair and coffee table toward kitchen. Right next to the door, behind it, I would put some combination of "entry" furniture -- a table with a mirror, say, or maybe with shoe/boot storage underneath. You might need a coat rack back there too, as I don't see a coat closet -- could be in either corner by the window. If you go with a narrow console table behind the door (for keys and mail and so forth), then you could get a nice upholstered bench to put in front of the radiator, which could have shoes kept underneath as well as providing extra seating when you have visitors (whether or not you then pull it farther into the room).

Edit: realize I forgot the big cabinet. I guess I'd try it on the wall next to the door (LR side) with a smaller comfy chair in that spot, up against it as much as required...

You can always get custom furniture built just for your space and Taylor custom would love to assist you

What is the room beyond this one, through the open doorway by the stair?

The room after by the steps is the kitchen

Looks like it might be an eat-in kitchen. Can you get a table and chairs in there?

Omg!! I love that you did that for my room! I can finally see what it may look like! That's awesome! Thank you.

I'm loving the bamboo shades and the closets over there. I can't wait to start painting and then move my furniture in to play with some of these great ideas. I defiantly will have to loose some furniture :(

the eat in kitchen area is very small and narrow. i was thinking of making a banquette from Ikea cabinets and upholstery.

Try to find a drop leaf or a gateleg table for use in eating. The smaller the better for items in the room. Isn't grover the greatest? Keep the colors as light as possible for walls, blinds, curtains & accents.

frieda, a banquette and small table in the kitchen sounds like a winner.

There is a story with an ikea media piece as a banquette just earlier this week in a kitchen makeover . .

How about a large giclee print or painting to tie it all together. See this one I did for a home decorated by Design the Senses. www.ldanielsart.com Lisa Daniels

or something like this:

I agree with the idea of selling your bulky couch and getting something that won't take up so much room:) :)

We at houzz hear about people finding great banquettes for sale on craigslist ... or overstock . . don't forget the resale market or the mass discount options. .

Hi. We're up to picking paint colors. Any ideas of a color or colors for this living room/dining room? Should they be 2 different colors like a grey and blue or the same color different shades?

I think with it being small, you want to do one color or perhaps one color with an accent shade. Now that I understand your space and the brown leather - - a teal navy for your accent wall and a crisp white from ben moore- both home depot and sherwin williams will make ben moore colors if you don't have a ben moore affiliated store near you. Look on google images at bm aegean teal for your dark blue accent wall http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/aegeanteal

balanced with a crisp white - I would suggest bm white dove on the other walls - White is the new "it" color and it will work well here to bounce light around and help you feel things are new. You can use it on the trim everywhere in a higher gloss to get that contrast you want . .

Libradesigneye
Would these shades go well in that big window with the paint color you suggested?

Only if you do them in white but I can't recommend them. Shades are going to cut out too much light and you need light with the darker floors and furniture.

Look instead at some woven wood blinds in a mid tone that relates back to your leather chair tone (lighter but in the same color family) and hang them at the ceiling over all three windows. Then, when they are up, they create a pretty valance and the light will come streaming in, and when they are down, you will have privacy but still be able to see out. If you want complete darkness from the street, then get the lined ones but for my money the sheer ones are better - also less expensive and you can get all three windows to match. Later you can hang panels for color and softness on either side of the two tall windows / even the front window depending on what you do underneath.

Thank you so much! Your awesome! I have no clue what I'm doing and your really helping! I can't wait to show you pictures! I looked up the blind and it's perfect I'm so excited.

The guy in lowes told me that the woven blinds are too delicate for kids. That it will break if they touch it. I saw something that's light filtering cordless shades. What's your thoughts on that?

The honeycomb? No - again, they cover the window too much - I had the woven blinds for years with kids no problem - he is trying to upsell you. They are not that delicate.

I was planing on having a grey wall in my master bedroom. Then I found a story here on houzz that talked about grey rooms. It said that grey walls go well with dark wood floors. I'm staring to think my living room /dining room with the darkish wood floor might be a better place for grey? If I go with this do I paint the whole room or just some walls? One wall? And there are tons of grey shades! I was thinking a mid tone to light grey with some blue in it? I have no clue if this will make my small narrow space look dark and small or if it will look elegant like some pictures I saw. Any advice?

frieda, I know it seems easier to paint before you've moved in, but it's really a recipe for frustration and for having to paint again. Move in first with whatever furniture you're bringing and see how it's going to work. You may find much of your existing furniture just doesn't, and if you buy new, you don't want your choices constrained by a wall color. Paint colors are infinite; furniture is not.

That said, when you do paint, in a small room like this, do all the walls the same. It really will make the space seem larger. I wouldn't do an accent wall here.

After the space is furnished to your satisfaction, then it will be time to bring in samples and see how they look in the room.